Blended & Brewed
by Claudia Reese
Summary: A series of caffeine-related one-shots that are best read with a cup of coffee—may it be homemade or store-bought, served hot or iced cold, partnered with a great snack or drank as is. Some may be as light and sweet as the whip cream on top of your beverage, while others can be as heavy and bitter like a good ol' freshly brewed drink.
1. Cafe Mocha

**Disclaimer:** Characters belong to geniuses known as CLAMP. The beverages and snacks presented are selections from the writer's favourite coffee place, _Starbucks©_. Other possible places of reference may be present and the writer does not own any of it unless otherwise stated.

**Author's Notes:** I'm a die hard coffee addict. I think my body is made up of 25%-30% caffeine. Or maybe even 60%. Lol! I don't think I'll finish my busy university life without caffeine by my side. I'm always inspired to do fictions (and study) whenever I drink coffee, and because of that, here's to a series of caffeine-related one-shots for your entertainment.

**Summary:** A series of caffeine-related one-shots that are best read with a cup of coffee—may it be homemade or store-bought, served hot or iced cold, partnered with a great snack or drank as is. Some may be as light and sweet as the whip cream on top of your beverage, while others can be as heavy and bitter like a good ol' freshly brewed drink.

* * *

**Blended & Brewed****  
(The Cappuccino Series)**

"_Coffee smells like freshly ground heaven."  
- Jessi Lane Adams_

-;-

-;-

Syaoran Li was a very hardworking man.

It was apparent with the way he focused on his job, with the way he handles himself with determination and straight-out perfection. His ignorance for his break time worries his colleagues, but his achievements make them envious too. He was a very motivated young man who works under the not-so-very-nice female boss. His unknown motivation was the cause of stares and occasional gossips around the office, but whatever it was, they knew that he will someday be rewarded for it.

After all, being part of the finance team was not a walk in the park, especially if you're the manager of that said department. He was the one in-charge for the final checkups of the documents, reviewing it again and over, before submitting it to their chief finance officer every three to four weeks.

Their CFO wasn't the friendliest of them all, but she was smart enough as hell to know something's wrong once she first set her eyes on something not valid.

Now Sakura Kinomoto may not even be a candidate for Miss Congeniality, but— cheesy as it may sound, she's the only suitable candidate deserving to have Syaoran's heart.

That was decided by the heart's owner.

His secret was simple: his own boss was his motivation.

Many people may see it as admiration, while there are few others who could see it as mere confusion. But for Syaoran, it was neither or maybe even twistedly both, because for him— it was love.

It was love that pushed him to do his best every day.

It was love that made him smile whenever he passed the final documents to his boss, even if his boss never smile back.

It was love that made him pass the documents with a short cup of hot espresso; the flavour differed every time he gave the monthly report.

The first time he gave a cup, green eyes narrowed at him and questioned, "why?"

He was determined. He didn't even second guess. He just said, "because I wanted to."

When his colleagues noticed it, they thought he was just kissing up to his boss so he can get merits enough to pull him at the top of the hierarchy. Syaoran would just snort at that rumor, ignore it and just do the same thing every month.

The first cup he gave her was a hot cup of cafe mocha. For him, she was the perfect mixture of chocolate and coffee— sinfully bittersweet. But she never knew that, and maybe she never will; but for Syaoran, it was okay.

He did it again the next month, and the third month, and the fourth. But Sakura didn't ask him anymore questions after the first time. Sometimes she never even bothered to know what flavour it was, considering how she would always be surprised with the choice. She thought that it would always be cafe mocha for during work hours, it was her preferred flavour for her own personal reasons.

The sixth month came and when Syaoran entered her office with a cup of caramel macchiato at hand, he passed the folder to which Sakura indifferently accepted. The silence was there as it always have been like the presence of the cup of coffee on the table every month.

The sixth month came and he boldly told her, "You should smile more often."

The statement obviously surprised her, a brow rose up as her attention was caught from the papers she was currently reading. She gave her a look that completely told him, "_excuse me?"_ as if she never heard a word he said, but oh she did.

Syaoran just gave her a sincere smile and shrugged, turning his heels and walked out of the room.

Sakura's eyes were fixed at the closed doors for a few seconds until they gazed on the folder Syaoran had just given her. With a sigh, she grabbed the object and opened it, planning to scan the report so she could easily be through with her work.

Her original plan was blurred when a bright yellow post-it was attached on the first page of the report, blocking out some words.

"_You should smile more often"_ was scribbled at the bottom of the sticky note, and on the middle of it was a poorly drawn smiley face. Sakura had to admit, it _did_ make her smile though.

Shaking her head, she peeled the sticky note carefully and tucked it in one of her drawers, now continuing on with the original plan of doing the final review for the audit report. She always knew Syaoran Li was a man of diligence and hardwork, and with that comes with the knowledge that Syaoran Li would never miscalculate something as simple as addition of the month's expenses.

_He did this on purpose._ She was sure.

And another thing she was sure of, was that Syaoran did it to get her attention in a poor, unprofessional way—in Sakura's strict mind, that is.

The next day, Sakura called for Syaoran in her office. Snickers and teasing condolences were suddenly heard as Syaoran passed by his co-workers, now walking towards the room. He was sure he was going to get scolded after what he did, or _didn't do_, to the miscalculated sum.

When Syaoran neared the table, Sakura just looked at him straight and coldly, while he remained surprisingly calm. He waited patiently for the yelling, but it never came. He looked down and closed his eyes, guilt rushing over his body at the thought of disappointing his beloved boss.

He heard her get up from her seat and shuffled a bit, but he never opened his eyes. He heard her walk around the room and waited for any form of physical violence but it still never came. A few seconds passed and the last thing he heard was the door being shut, and that's when he realized that Sakura already left him in the room.

Surprised, he opened his eyes and indeed his boss wasn't there. He was about to leave until the folder he passed yesterday was in front of him, on top of the table. But what surprised him even more was a cup of cafe mocha labelled with his name, sitting beside the folder.

He was clearly not expecting this. With a smirk partnered with a silent laugh, he picked up the cup and his eyes widened when he turned it over and saw a bright pink post-it attached to it.

"_Mind your own business" _was what it said. That was expected.

But the big smiley face in the middle was just something... _remarkable._


	2. Strawberries & Creme

**Author's Notes:** To Hatsuki, who raised a question whether my other caffeine-related one-shot, _Mornings With You_, will be making an appearance here since I'm planning to put _Profile_ here too, my answer to that is: maybe. :D I think it's a good idea so maybe I would dedicate a chapter for that. Thank you! Ü

* * *

**Blended & Brewed****  
(The Cappuccino Series)**

"_He was my cream, and I was his coffee –  
and when you poured us together, it was something."  
- Josephine Baker_

-;-

-;-

"I never knew you were still a fan of frappuccino, Mr. Li."

"It's chocolate. Need I say more?"

An amused smile coming from her.

A smirk coming from him.

"I never knew you frequent this coffee branch either."

"The same thing I thought after seeing you here."

An eyebrow rose.

A head shook.

"Is there an underlying 'strange seeing you here' under that statement?"

"We were never strangers."

A promise of familiarity.

A secret.

Silence came. And it wasn't the most comfortable one either. She looked away and pretended to be interested at the people passing by. He looked down and counted to five.

"Do you think it's a good idea?" He murmured.

She didn't look back at him, letting herself be distracted by the different people outside the cafe. She knew, she was sure, that if she looked back, he would see the different shades of hurt in her eyes.

And it was the last thing she wanted him to see.

"Yes. Who wouldn't want to get married to her?" She answered.

A chuckle.

A bittersweet smile.

"Then you marry her then."

"You're making it sound like a chore."

She bit her bottom lip.

He took a sip from his cup.

This time, she was the first one to say something. "She'd make a perfect wife, you know. She's beautiful, she's properly domesticated, and she's a very caring and loving person." And yet she still tore her eyes away from him.

_So are you,_ was what he wanted to say. But this time, he knew it was smart to let his conscience get in the way before it would lead to anything disastrous.

So he went with the safe, "I know."

"Good."

Another thick wave of awkward silence came.

Her once hot cafe late was getting cold. And truthfully he was surprised because she always bought either an iced flavoured latte or her favourite strawberry frappuccino. He knew she never favoured anything hot, so this alone intrigued him.

The whip cream on top of his beverage was slowly melting and mixing away with his drink.

"What are you so afraid of?" She asked, now bravely looking straight in his eyes, challenging him in a way to answer the question at least right.

"That I might regret it for the rest of my life." He whispered.

She gave him a somewhat pitiful yet encouraging smile. "Everyone feels that way when they're about to get married. It's practically normal."

"Huh," was his reply, lifting his drink for another sip.

"You... didn't hesitate when you asked her to marry you, what's this reluctance now?" She looked away again, knowing her question held more than just one meaning. And she was sure he knew it too.

"You're right." He finally said after a few seconds. "Maybe it is a good idea, getting married to _her_."

She gave him another smile.

He passed her a somewhat worried look.

"Don't look at me that way." She whispered. "In fact, never think of me that way anymore. I'll be fine."

"I'm sorry."

She nodded, now looking at her own drink that was left untouched ever since he came.

"You always are."

"Will you be there tomorrow?" He asked, tones of hopefulness distinct.

"I'm the maid of honor." She replied, making him feel suddenly dumb for even forgetting.

"Right."

She sent him a smile with a look that said, '_congratulations_'.

He gave her a look that said, '_I'm sorry'._

-;-

It was finally the wedding day.

It was finally night time. 8:21 PM in fact. The wedding was supposed to happen at 6 PM.

She was sitting in her same place like yesterday, only this time, she wore her lavender maid of honor's dress and she ignored the looks other customers gave her when they saw her in such outfit. Her elbow was propped against the arm of the love seat, her jaw resting against her palm as her eyes entertained themselves with the people walking by.

Her attention was suddenly caught when the window somehow reflected a man, notifying her that he was behind her.

"You didn't come." He breathed.

She closed her eyes, letting the accusation be digested in her brain.

"You said you would." He added.

"I only said I was the maid of honor." She replied.

"I can see you're wearing the dress too." He was still standing, looking at the counter every now and then to check if his order was already there.

She looked at him, and for a second she almost regretted it, considering he was still wearing his wedding tux and for her, it was curious.

"And I can see you ditched your own reception?" She raised a brow.

He let out a weary smile. "You still didn't attend the wedding."

"Wonderful statement of facts. Now leave me alone." She grumbled, looking away again.

"I would unless you tell me why." His look was confident, to the point of arrogance in fact, as if he knew what she would really say.

That looked irked her. It irked her because she could still see it reflected at the window so she had no escape of actually seeing his gorgeous albeit handsome groom look.

It irked her so much she had the decency to finally tell him why.

"I never thought it was really a good idea." She said above whisper, but he managed to still catch it.

He nodded, and waited for awhile.

Her eyebrows creased together, wondering why he wasn't saying anything.

Until one of the baristas announced something quite relevant.

"_One strawberries and crème frappuccino for 'SO DID I'."_

Her head suddenly turned towards the counter, now seeing that he was on his way to get the drink.

And that's when her emerald eyes widened in realization.

He wasn't wearing any wedding ring.

* * *

_My favourite Starbucks drink is a nice, hot cup of white chocolate mocha. What's yours? Ü_


	3. Iced Hazelnut Macchiato

**Blended & Brewed****  
(The Cappuccino Series)**

"_Coffee is a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to your older self."  
- Terry Pratchett_

-;-

-;-

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

"Sakura! You're in there for almost an hour!" Syaoran yelled, his fist still slamming against the bathroom door.

Yet, he received no answer. The water inside continued running noisily, with a few audible hums coming from Sakura.

"Sakura! I'm already late so get out of the shower now!"

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

Oh Syaoran was not at all happy. His brows creasing together in fury, arms crossed and jaws tight.

_This is what I get for having a girl for a roommate. Stupid Eriol and moving in with his girlfriend!_ He cursed.

See him and Eriol used to be roommates, but ever since that _blue-haired freak_, as Syaoran addresses him, proposed to his long-time girlfriend in their sophomore year, Eriol moved out and so a spare room was available for renting. Now Syaoran wouldn't mind being alone—he actually preferred it too, but since Sakura was so keen on being independent, she asked if she could take the spare room.

At first, Syaoran didn't mind. Him and Sakura were close friends since elementary, so he never really had the heart to refuse her. Touya, her brother on the other hand, was dead against her moving in the university dorm with _a guy_, let alone Syaoran who Touya wasn't really fond of, as he explicitly revealed.

But it couldn't be helped. Sakura moved in the middle of the semester so it was hard to find a good place, and Syaoran's was the last resort which she took. It created a small controversy though, but eventually other students moved on and just accepted it since students of the opposite sex sharing an apartment together was deemed normal.

It required a huge amount of adjustment coming from both sides too. As for Syaoran, he was more than surprised to find other "necessities" in the bathroom. _Who needs scented candles while they're bathing!_ Although he did give her credit for keeping her space clean since he's kind of a neat-freak himself, but there were times when he just can't understand certain things about the opposite sex.

Like taking too long a time in the shower.

If it was the first time, Syaoran would let it pass. But it wasn't. He was already late for his first subject, and although it crossed his mind to go to class not bathed, his pride and sense of cleanliness still took over. Add the fact that he didn't have any decent sleep too since he was up all night finishing his term paper.

_Argh!_ Syaoran groaned. He was already on the verge of kicking down the door and moving Sakura over when the door finally opened.

Sakura had a satisfied smile on her face. She was already wearing her skirt and loose top, her hair wrapped up in a towel when she got out. She was still humming when she opened the door, and so it shocked her to see Syaoran standing in front of her.

"Syaoran, hey!" She grinned. But then she noticed the frown on his face causing her eyes to show worry. "What's the matter?"

A vein popped. His eyebrow twitched.

Sakura blinked until her eyes swallowed the whole stance Syaoran was in. She gulped, slowly turning towards the wall clock where it read 9:07 AM.

"Umm… I'm sorry?" She said sheepishly.

Syaoran glared. His frown deepening every second; he was really in the mood to give her a good scolding, but he prioritized his schedule more and so without a word, walked past against her, entered the bathroom and shut the door with a loud bang.

Sakura bit her lip, guilt rushing in her veins. She let out a breath, only then did she realize she was holding it the whole time Syaoran was staring at her in an angry fashion.

Once she heard the water running inside, she found it safe to finally move from her position and walked towards her bedroom. She didn't really mean to stay in there for long, but the hot water was so tempting and it helped her relax from the stress she has been putting up from school work.

_But,_ Sakura knew,_ I still have to apologize to him_.

-;-

Since he wasn't in the mood to catch up to his first class, he decided to skip and wait for his next class instead. By the time he has finished showering, Sakura was already on her way out of the apartment. She threw him an apologetic smile and left, not even giving Syaoran the chance to say anything back.

Luckily for her, the shower has helped him cool down a bit from their little argument. He was a bit surprised though, Sakura's class doesn't start 'til another thirty minutes like his so why did she leave so early?

Syaoran shrugged, thinking it was again one of her personal reasons.

Later, he was already on his way to his second class. Eriol was his classmate there, they were partners in some projects and so they still got to hang out at times.

He entered the room and found a few other students were already present. He walked towards his desk and suddenly felt a bit conscious of people's stares.

_Is there something on my face? _He frowned.

Eriol sat next to him with a sly grin on his face.

"Dude, seriously what's wrong? Why are _they_ looking at me with that same crazy look as yours?" Syaoran fumed.

His friend just pointed to a little something on top of Syaoran's desk. Said man turned and his eyes widened at the piece of drink present.

"It's from Sakura," Eriol said. "She dropped by awhile ago and asked me to place it on your desk. I encouraged her to enter the room and do it herself and so she did. She also told me to tell you she was sorry; sorry for what is what we don't know 'cause she just left after that. Thus the stares." He teased.

For the entertainment of some, Syaoran turned red.

"Nice girlfriend, Li!"

"I knew you and your roommate had a little thing going on!"

"Hey Koji, that's thirty yen for me!"

Some of the students hollered, with a few money being passed around. It was then did Syaoran realize that some of his classmates found it amusing to gamble about his "relationship" with his, _ahem_, hot roommate.

"Sakura is _not_ my girlfriend!" He exclaimed, slamming his bag down his chair.

But the teasing continued. The noise only toned down when the door opened once again and the professor entered.

Syaoran sighed. He finally sat down and decided to relax. He threw Eriol a glare when said friend was on the verge of teasing him once more. Smart for Eriol, he'll just pass this time for later and let Syaoran have his peace.

After all, what better way to enjoy peace than with a nice cup of iced hazelnut macchiato on his desk.

He couldn't help but smile as he stared at the drink. It's as if he could already hear Sakura's apology with it.

_Sakura,_ he thought while giving a sip of his drink. _My favorite. _


	4. Cinnamon Dolce Creme

**Blended & Brewed  
(The Cappuccino Series)**

_"You make good coffee… You're a slob, but you make good coffee."  
- Cher: Moonstruck_

_-;-_

_-;-_

* * *

**part one.**

* * *

"So how long until you finally left the girl again?"

Sigh.

"Three weeks."

Immature, unnecessary, and insensitive.

These three words were definitely the perfect ones to describe the ex-couple's game.

The concerned friends were very worried at first, but seeing as it were _those two_ they were talking about—the most stubborn "ex"-couple in the universe—they had no choice but to just wait and watch what happens.

"I win, _To-mo-yo_." Eriol grinned.

Tomoyo groaned with a roll of her eyes as she passed the bill to her long-time boyfriend.

"This pattern of Syaoran's is getting irregular." Chiharu frowned as she passed Eriol—the pot holder, her loss of the bet too.

"Not to mention totally random." Rika added, giving her own lost bet to Eriol who kept on grinning.

"What are you talking about? This is awesome!" Yamazaki cheered after receiving quite a large amount from winning the latest event. "It was a good thing she finally came to her senses, Syaoran. Otherwise I would have lost a fortune!"

"So that leaves our pot to a total of… 12,475 Yen." Naoko nodded as she double checked her subtraction.

…But it doesn't mean they're not allowed to at least make it a form of entertainment.

Syaoran frowned. "Can't you _at least_ make it look like you're not having fun with _my_ misery?"

The six friends looked at each other first before chorusing, "No."

Syaoran sunk in his seat, biting the straw of his cinnamon dolce cream Frappuccino drink.

"Aww, don't look too bummed out. Don't lie to us saying that you're not enjoying your side of the game too." Eriol said.

Syaoran smirked. _Well, I guess he's right._ "I almost made this one last longer, but that girl just won't stop talking about her ex. Doesn't she know it's rude?"

"Almost as rude as you thinking of her as _your_ ex." Yamazaki grinned.

"Ooooh!" The girls chorused.

Syaoran glared at them around the table. _That was uncalled for!_ His frown returned. _But most definitely not true! Who in their right mind would think of her among others?_

_…You do, chump_. His conscience replied, annoyingly in Syaoran's perspective too.

"You've got it wrong! I _never_ think of Sakura when I'm dating others!" Syaoran exclaimed.

"Who said anything about Sakura? She wasn't your only ex, right?" Tomoyo said in a conspicuously innocent tone that made the others react in a teasing voice again.

Eriol laughed. "She got you there, man!"

"Hiiragizawa, control your woman!" Syaoran said.

"As soon as you control yours, buddy." Eriol said.

"What woman? I thought we all are informed that I don't have one as of the moment."

"I know. And I lost 500 yen because of it." Rika commented with a sad face, making the others laugh.

Suddenly, Tomoyo's phone rang making everyone turn to her. She answered the call with her mellow "Hello?" and started conversing with the person on the other line.

The others resumed their conversation but not as loud, respecting Tomoyo's need of a comfortable environment to hear her phone conversation.

"Yeah, I'm here at the café...

Uh huh.

Um… I'm here with my friends.

Oh really?" Tomoyo paused for a moment before making a quick glance at Syaoran who seemed to catch her doing it. He raised an eyebrow at her look until she turned away and continued her call.

"Alright, we'll be here. I'll see you. Bye." She hung up the phone and automatically Eriol asked who it was. "Oh it's just some friend who's in town and wanted to see me." She answered then quickly sipped a long gulp from her drink, avoiding Syaoran's gaze.

"You've never been very good at lying, Tomoyo." Syaoran said.

Tomoyo gasped in a mock tone, slamming a hand down the wooden table for an added dramatic effect. "I do too have been good! Who is it that's always planning your surprise parties and made sure that whoever's the one to be surprised doesn't know absolutely anything about it? Thank you very much for your acknowledgment and appreciation."

Rika and Naoko laughed at their friend's antics. Really, she could be a real drama queen sometimes.

Eriol smirked, his own coffee cup on his hand while the other arm wrapped around Tomoyo's shoulder. "Yeah, those were _darn good_ surprises."

Syaoran fumed. "We're not talking about _those_ kinds of surprises, Eriol."

But Eriol just shrugged in response.

"Anyway Syaoran, isn't it time for you to get going and get ready for your date? You did say you already have one while planning to break up with Nina." Tomoyo asked.

Syaoran looked at his watch and answered, "Well, I guess you're right, but I still have time to chill."

"No!" Tomoyo exclaimed, catching the attention of the others again. "I-I mean, it'd be rude to be late on your date." She stammered.

Syaoran raised a brow again, clearly sensing something suspicious. Then again it's Tomoyo, something's _always_ suspicious when it comes to her and her plans. And right now, her plan was to get rid of him.

Tomoyo stared at him with an almost pleading face that left Syaoran no choice but to adhere to her request. He looked at Eriol and it seemed like he had the same request too, seeing as his eyes turned serious while he looked at him.

With a defeated sigh, Syaoran stood up and left his half-finished drink on the table.

"Fine, fine. I'll just go to the restroom then leave." He announced before walking towards the men's room.

"Hey Tomoyo, why were you so keen on making Syaoran leave? He almost just got here, didn't he?" Yamazaki asked curious.

"Well, that's because…"

The door of the café opened as another familiar face came in, but seemed to be accompanied by an _un_familiar face.

Emerald eyes searched around the area, her hair that reached until below her shoulders softly swaying as her head turned. Her lips formed in a radiant smile once she found the group she was looking for. She briskly walked towards them, her company following her behind.

"Oh, Sakura!" Rika greeted, standing up and ran to her friend, giving her a small hug.

The other's turned towards the newcomer and gave her their respective greetings in turn.

"Hey Sakura!"

"Long time no see."

"Have you been well?"

Sakura grinned at them and responded to each of their greetings.

"Oh it's so great to be back. I missed you guys!" She exclaimed.

Tomoyo saw her friend's company and with a teasing smile, she asked, "So who's your friend, Saks?"

"Oh!" Sakura said as she caught the guy's hand and motioned him to come closer. "This is Ruki, he's a good friend of mine I met in the university."

"It's nice to meet everyone." The young man with jet black hair and gorgeous silver eyes smiled.

"Are you sure he doesn't just make your heart go _Ruki-Ruki (supposedly doki-doki)?_" Yamazaki joked, instantly earning him a punch from Chiharu, making the others laugh.

Sakura giggled, but the pink tint on her cheeks somehow confirmed Yamazaki's tease. "Don't be ridiculous. Oh look! Cinnamon Dolce! See guys, I told you this is delicious and you wouldn't even believe me. Now you started to order it for yourself." She immediately changed the subject while grabbing the unattended drink and took a sip.

"Um Sakura, that's actually…"

"Hey guys, I just met this really cute chick on my way back from the restroom and she asked for my number first! I knew no one would ever—" Syaoran's enthusiasm instantly faded after seeing his friends' quiet and shocked reaction. "What is it?" He walked closer to them and later realized that two new people just arrived. One of which he very well knew even if it's just from the back. He could never forget that honey hair and petite stature.

Sakura's body stiffened at the presence she's very familiar with, and it wouldn't take a genius to know that Syaoran noticed her too. She could literally feel his daggers of stares on her back.

Tension enveloped the group as no one dared to say anything first.

It took a lot of Sakura's willpower to turn around and gave her signature smile at him. "Hey Syaoran, never expected to see you here." She greeted, her tone almost hinted nervousness but she still tried her best anyway.

Syaoran stared for a few moments more until a smirk formed on his ever handsome face. _So this is how she'll play it, huh?_ But his next actions caught everyone by surprise as he walked past Sakura and her 'friend' and completely ignored her.

Ruki, on the other hand, blinked at the scene happening in front of him but the serene smile remained on his face.

Syaoran stood back behind his seat, now across Sakura and still chose to say nothing. Sakura's mouth formed an 'o' as she stood there dumbfounded and feeling a little humiliated. _Did he just ignore me? That idiot!_ Her mouth turned in a small frown as her grip on the drink tightened.

"Sakura," Tomoyo called with a worried look.

Sakura hung her head low for a second before looking at her friends and passed a small smile. "We better get going, guys. I just need to pick up a few things in the bookstore at the corner and we'll be on our way."

"But you just got here." Naoko said.

"Yeah, come on. We never got to chance to meet your new date." Yamazaki teased which only earned him another hard whack from Chiharu followed by a whisper of "you're being insensitive!"

But Sakura just waved it off, and placed her hand around Ruki's arm as she urged him to already go. "Let's go, Ruki." She said.

"O-Okay." Ruki could only nod. "Bye guys, it was a pleasure to meet you all." He smiled and waved. The others nodded, well all except Syaoran who kept his frown straight.

"We'll stay longer next time!" Sakura said and went for the door.

"Sakura," Syaoran's suprising call halted her from her steps.

She turned around and gave a straight look at the man who ignored her just minutes ago.

"That's my drink."

Sakura looked down at the frappuccino in her hands and thought, _I should've known. The others would never buy this drink._ But Syaoran wasn't the only one who made a surprising move that day, Sakura walked towards the exit and threw the drink right in the trash bin.

Tomoyo only tried her hardest to hide her giggle while Eriol gave a smirk at her action. Rika and Naoko looked worriedly at Syaoran's reaction while Chiharu and Yamazaki was still fighting with voices only beyond whisper.

Syaoran's jaw tightened at her response, but inwardly he knew he had it coming. _And that thing Yamazaki described as her 'new date' is her 'new date'? Talk about lowering her standards._

"This'll be fun." Tomoyo suddenly said, as she placed her money on the table. "500 yen says the guy will try to make a move tonight." It took a while before the others responded given the just awkward situation but her bet became the start of a new game.

Almost immediately, the others followed and the bets were made.

"350 yen says the guy will ask her out again tomorrow." Rika said.

"Sakura will meet us again in two days with the guy, put me in for 275." That was from Naoko.

"Well honestly, that guy was pretty cute." Chiharu commented, ignoring Yamazaki's "hey!" from the background. "300 yen says she actually makes it until next week."

Yamazaki tried to rack his brain for something good, until he can only come up with, "400 yen says that guy's a playboy and is dating another girl aside from Sakura."

Everyone else, except Syaoran, pondered for a while and thought about how it _was_ a high possibility. "But we'll never know. That actually makes it more exciting." Tomoyo said.

"Oy," he suddenly called out, catching everyone's attention. "2,500 yen says she leaves the guy in three days." He said boldly.

Yamazaki raised a brow. "But you're not supposed to participate. You guys _are_ the game."

Eriol suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and took it out, and what he received definitely caught his interest. He showed Tomoyo for a while before she nodded approvingly at the additional game.

"Yamazaki, it's okay." Eriol said , placing his phone back in his pocket. "With Syaoran participating, this is going to be more interesting, right?" His smile was so innocent that one would think a storm is fast approaching.

"Very interesting indeed." Tomoyo agreed, with her own innocent smile that made her look like a pretty angel but with a very wicked plan.

… … …

_Eriol, 2,000 yen says Syaoran won't like whoever girl he'll go out with tonight and he won't date anyone tomorrow._

_From: Sakura_

* * *

**_to be continued_**


End file.
